Forwarders warned of liability in handling of counterfeit goods

AS THE South African freight industry awaits clarification on future implementation of Part 108 aviation security regulations – or the known shipper concept – it’s clear that freight forwarders need to be moving in that direction. Discussions at last year’s Fiata (International Association of Freight Forwarders) conference in Dubai made it clear that freight forwarders were increasingly being held accountable for issues that extend beyond the transport chain. In terms of EU legislation, for example, a freight forwarder who knows or has reasonable grounds to know that his commercial activity infringes intellectual property can be held liable for that. And in a situation where a forwarder has no reasonable knowledge, he may be ordered to disclose banking, financial and commercial documents. “In effect this means that if a forwarder gets involved in dealing with counterfeit goods, he could be held liable,” SA Association of Freight Forwarders executive officer Chris Richards told FTW.